PAEM MANAGEMENT STUDY OF COTTON FARMS. 7 



In wet weather, and especially during the winter months, this clay 

 sticks to the wagon wheels in large quantities and it is frequently 

 seen along the roads in piles where it has been removed. 1 



The Houston black clay is well adapted to the growth of cotton, 

 corn, grain, and various legumes. Alfalfa does very well on the 

 more level areas. Various other feed crops yield well when 

 climatic conditions are favorable. 



Another and closely related group of soils found in the southern 

 part of Texas (see map, fig. 1) is known as the Victoria series. 2 

 These soils are more nearly level than the Houston series, but have 

 the same general properties. Where climatic conditions are similar 

 the same crop adaptations are found. Both series contain a high per- 

 centage of lime. 



An area lying between the " black land " of the Houston series and 

 the Victoria series (see map, fig. 1) contains considerable bodies of 

 heavy black soil between areas of sandy and other light-textured 

 soils. These areas of heavy land may belong to either the Houston 

 or Victoria group. 



CLIMATE. 



Ellis County has a mild climate. The summers are rather long and 

 hot. In winter the temperature is mild, except during the " northers," 

 which occur at irregular intervals. The " northers " are a continu- 

 ation of the blizzards of the Great Plains region of the United States 

 and cause very sudden drops in temperature to points considerably 

 below freezing. 



The growing season is about eight months in duration, the average 

 date of the last killing frost in the spring being March 21 and the 

 first in the fall being November 10, according to the records of the 

 U. S. Weather Bureau station at Waxahachie. The same authority 

 reports the average annual rainfall as 35.44 .inches. The greatest 

 amount of rainfall occurs during May and June, being on the aver- 

 age 5.35 and 3.67 inches, respectively, for these months. Crops in 

 this region suffer to about the same extent from excess rainfall as 

 from drought. Lines of equal rainfall, showing the decrease in 

 annual precipitation from east to west, may be seen on the map. 

 (See fig. 2.) 



1 "A phase of the type known as ' Elm Thicket ' land generally occupies level or 

 gently sloping area paralleling the stream courses. It was originally covered by a 

 dense timber growth, the greater percentage being elm. Though a few of these areas 

 have never been cleared, the greater part has been cleared long enough to be free from 

 stumps. This phase is considered a little more productive than the main body of the 

 type. The soil is deep and very rich in organic matter." — Soil survey of Ellis County, 

 Tex. Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1910. 



2 Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. Agr., Bui. 96, p. 251. 



